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Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

Kellie Zakolski

Gregg Smith

Cynthia Sabbath

Martin Cooper

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What will Detroit look like in 10 years?

We asked residents Saturday to dream big — think New York or Chicago — and envision what a greater Detroit would have in a decade that it doesn’t have today, or what it offers today but only in limited form.

Here’s what they had to say.

“If you look at it realistically, Detroit is a food desert. I’m mobile where I can get around. But there are a lot of citizens in this city who can’t get around. We need better stores, better supermarkets, for one. They want people to come down here, but there’s not a supermarket.

“A lot of people who live here get out and walk, but they can’t walk to a supermarket. Meijer, K-mart, Target need to come back into the city. There’s a lot of vacant property, and the people here, they do shop.”

“I feel like it’s already growing and thriving. Every summer when I go out and walk or ride bikes or just drive around, I notice there’s a different energy. Even the other day, walking down through Campus Martius, the RiverWalk and Dequindre Cut, there’s a different energy, a different vibe. People seem to be taking things in more, spending more time. There’s a happier feeling going on.

“For me, what could improve is public transit. When I travel to other larger cities, it’s easier to hop on a bus and have it be dependable. I know a lot of people are excited about the light rail, but if we could just get the buses going, that would be great. I would love to not have a car.”

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— Kellie Zakolski, 33, an ultrasound stenography student who lives just north of downtown

“Picture all over here — all of these vacant buildings with businesses. We could see a lot more small businesses down here, and for people to be able to have jobs.

“I’d like to see businesses everywhere all the way down to the water. There’s something to do, something to catch the eye, something really nice, clubs. I see this being a lit-up Detroit. Like New York is lit up, why can’t Detroit be lit up?”

— Gregg Smith, 46, an unemployed business management student who lives on the west side

“More employment, and more activities going on for our children. They need to get out. Summertime comes, and there’s nothing for them to do. We need something like the Boblo boat, or something close to that. They’re growing up with just computers, and they’re getting bigger because they’re not outside playing.

“New York’s got a lot of things going on. When the stores open, there was not one vacant building. We need that here.”

— Cynthia Sabbath, 52, a substitute teacher from the west side who’s about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in human services from the University of Phoenix

“Don’t forget the neighborhoods. Make it equal for everyone. I would like to see everybody rise up.”

A trip to Las Vegas recently inspired what she’d like to see in Detroit. “It was clean. I went to the casinos. You could walk down that strip, and everybody was kind to one another. They just seemed unified. We were there doing the gambling stuff, but I walked by myself. I left my friends in the casino, and I walked all the way down, had a little drink, came all the way back, and it was just clean. I didn’t see fighting.”

— Gwendolyn Harrison, 52, a west sider who volunteers for homeless services providers and is studying human services at the University of Phoenix